Day 19

Doug and I are back from an awesome weekend in Mammoth.  We couldn't have timed our weekend better.  It began snowing about 20 minutes after we arrived at our hotel, snowed all day on Friday (every run was fresh powder!), and stopped on Friday night.  We had blue skies and fresh tracks on Saturday and a chain-free drive home on Sunday.

Most of the weekend, I wore this, but I managed to pull myself together out of my post ski stupor on Saturday night.  Here's is what I wore.  I used my skis as props.  We hugged a little.  We're in love.

Day 18

Welcome to my first ever Second Chance Saturday!  As I explained in my last post, I will be restyling my outfit from Day 7.

We'll begin by dissecting the outfit.  Once we figure out what worked in the outfit and what went wrong, we'll be able to restyle the outfit effectively.

The Good:

• The scarf!  I love the pattern with the pop of pink.
• My oxfords look perfectly lady like with this sweater dress.

The Bad:

• First and foremost, the capri leggings.  They cut off my legs and make them look super short.  Also, the defined waist line of the dress, the bottom hem of the dress, the capri leggings, and my white legs against the oxfords each create a horizontal line that segment my body.  This outfit chops me up into 5 pieces.
• The lack of texture in this outfit.  The dress and the leggings are both a flat fabric.  The only item of interest is the scarf.
• Bare arms with a sweater dress.  It just seems wrong.  If it's cold enough to wear a sweater dress, shouldn't I be covering my arms?

Day 7, meet Day 18.

The Solution:

• I replaced the capri leggings with textured tights to both add some visual interest, cover up my absurd whiteness, and lengthen my legs.
• The black turtleneck covers up my nakey arms and ties in the black shoes to the rest of the outfit.
• My grey hat (again, knitted by my sistey) also adds texture to the outfit and hides the fact that I didn't do my hair today (shhhhh).

You like?

And that, my friends, was my closet's first shot at a second chance.

A Second Chance

Remember this outfit?

Well, as you know, I wasn't super excited about the way it turned out.  After reviewing the pictures with disgust (ok fine... "disgust" might be too harsh of a word), I reached a crossroads: solemnly swear never to wear any of those articles of clothing together again OR give the outfit a second chance: Keep the good aspects of the outfit, get rid of the bad parts, and make a super-outfit of sorts.  With that, I am pleased to announce that I am beginning a new feature on my blog called Second Chance Saturdays.  

What?
A re-styling of an old outfit.  I will be picking an outfit that I liked in my head but didn't makes it's way to my body as nicely.

Who?
My clothes!  And anyone else who wants to participate.  Send me a message if you would like to link up.

When?
Saturdays.  Because I love Saturdays.  And because they begin with the same letter as "second."  See what I did there?

Why?
Three reasons:

1. I believe in second chances.  Outfits are no exception.

2. Clothes are my art, and I would like to find a way to continue incorporating my personal style (and hopefully Doug's too!) into my blog after my 30 x 30 challenge is over.

3. Doug and I are still serious about our budgeting, and this will be my way of continuing to "remix" my clothes.  I just will be able to use my whole closet.  Awesome.

Visit me tomorrow to see my first Second Chance Saturday!

Day 17

Wanna know a secret?  I actually wore this outfit 2 weeks ago when my dad and step mom were in town.  I just haven't had a chance to post it.  I made my dress into a tunic!  Aren't I clever?

Today was a good day.  Doug got his Beer of the Month microbrews in the mail.



For Doug's birthday last year, I bought him a subscription to a beer club.  Pretty manly, huh?  Every other month he gets a 12-pack of beer in the mail that features 4 different microbrews.  This month he will enjoy a brown ale, a marzen, and two golden ales.  Every shipment includes a newsletter that describes the beers and the brewery, and Doug and I always have a fun time reading it.

Day 16

I know, this picture is a little bit blurry.  And Doug's backpack is in our living room.  But it's a cute outfit, huh?

Day 15

I've been trying to wrap my mind around my experience at Winter Camp so that I can put it into words, but my typically sarcastic style of writing just isn't going to cut it.  I was so blessed by my experience up there.  My girls opened up to each other on a new level, identified sins in their life that are keeping them from fully experiencing God, and truly desire to serve the Lord with their lives.  I am so thankful to have them in my life, and I love them so much.

Remember when I said that I was having some struggles with this sweater?  Without any prompting from me, on the last day of Winter Camp, one of my girls looked at me long and hard for a few seconds, then she reached into her bag and pulled out an eggplant colored headband with a big flower on it.  "Here!" she said.  "This is what you need," and plopped it on my head.  She was right!  Purple is the color for this sweater.  Just one more reason why I keep these wonderful girls around.

Day 14

Back from Winter camp.  And completely exhausted.  So I'll leave you with this.  The comfy sweatshirt.  And my Ugg-lies.  And my favorite hat.  My sissy made it for me.  And my mom made my sweatshirt.  Where are my mad creative skills?

A little bit of cheating?

When I selected my items for my 30 x30, I sort of forgot that I was going to be spending two weekends in the snow in February.  This weekend, obvies, is Winter Camp, and Doug and I are going up to Mammoth for a little romantic (or hard core shredding) ski trip next weekend.  So, I've decided on my 30th item.

Photo credit

Meet my Ugg-lies.  They might not be the cutest kicks around, but man, oh man, are they perfect for a weekend in the snow.

And while we're on the subject...this is a little bit awkward...would you mind if I switched out one of my items?  See... the brown blazer that I picked...  It doesn't really look good with anything.  I probably should have tried it on before I threw it into my mix.  It just seemed like it had such good potential.  So, I'm thinking: I would like to change it out for a comfy sweatshirt to wear while I'm up in the mountains.  I may not be able to take too many pictures while I'm up there, but I promise to keep up on the challenge.  Except of course for the themed dress up nights.  That's the time to go crazy.  Crazy, I tell you.

Day 13

Hmm... should I have worn brown boots with this outfit instead of my oxfords?  Probably.  I was tempted to change when I got home and take new pictures, but I'm determined to be honest with the challenge.  What's the point of blogging about my outfits if you aren't learning from my mistakes, right?  The problem is, this sweater is a really strange color.  It's sort of a browny-gray.  I feel like it can go either way.  I need to experiment a bit more...

These are the sophomores in my small group.  Aren't they the cutest?  I just adore them.  And this weekend, we're going to Winter Camp!  I have been praying that my girls will have a radical experience with God up at camp.  I'm so excited for them to be immersed in that intense camp experience, and I know that God is going to move in big ways.  If you think about us this weekend, keep our students in your prayers!

Day 12

So... I'm not doing too well with this whole "no shopping" thing.  I find myself shopping for non-clothing items just to get my fix.

Examples: I bought new curtains for my bedroom (I'm taking them back; they didn't work out.)  AND I bought adorable new heart dish towels (on Valentine's clearance) at Target today.  Doug's not such a fan, so I might have to take those back too.  He thinks that hearts are just for Valentine's Day.  He's a little confused.  Hearts mean that we love each other.  All the time.  That's what I told him.  And then I locked him in the closet for hating my new dish towels.

Day 11

My head is still up in Valentines Day clouds and my tummy is still filled with Valentines Day treats.  I woke up yesterday to a warm chocolate croissant (my favorite thing EVER) and a fruit salad.  Doug gave me a bright, shiny, and new red travel mug for Valentines Day because my favorite mug just broke, and he packed me a lunch that I later discovered had all my favorite treats in it!

We went to dinner at Darren's Restaurant in Manhattan Beach, and for the majority of our meal, we had the little patio filled with heat lamps all to ourselves. 

 

It was the best Valentines Day ever.

Recap: Days 1-10

I can't believe I'm already 1/3 of the way done with my remix.  I haven't even worn all of my picks yet!  My favorite outfits were Days 3 and 9.  That $6.99 F21 skirt has done me a solid.  Especially since I only bought it for my Halloween costume. 

My least favorite?  Day 7.  Capri leggings?  Not exactly.  They're actually workout spandex from Walmart.  And I think that they should stay that way.  

What were your favorites?  ...or least favorites if I must ask...

Well, I'm off to enjoy a night on the town with my Valentine.

Day 10

Happy Valentines Day!  Last night Doug, Rachel and I watched the Grammys (and more importantly, the red carpet), and Doug made us some delicious chocolate souffles.

He's the sweetest Valentine of all <3

Days 8 & 9

Doug and I spent the weekend with my dad and step mom who made the 6 hour trek from Santa Cruz to see us.  We did some sightseeing, ate like kings (literally. I wore a crown), and just enjoyed our time together.

We drove up to the Getty Villa on Saturday.  When I was little, I used to hate that my dad took soooo long in museums.  He literally reads every plaque on the wall.  Now that I'm older, I love it.  The fact that he reads everything combined with the fact that he pretty much knows everything anyway is awesome.  I can quickly walk through a room and then just stand around chatting with my step mom until my dad comes over and gives us the highlights.

This challenge has made me realize that mixing textures makes an outfit much more interesting.  Whether it is a stripe, a pattern, or just fabric that has an interesting appearance, I want to focus my shopping in the future on items that aren't just a flat cotton in a solid color... Not that I'm planning my future shopping trips already...  

Day 7

You know what's awkward?  Taking pictures of yourself every day.

Day 6

 My mom and Cliff stopped by on their way home from a mini-vacation to watch the Superbowl with us.  Doug made potato skins and tri-tip sliders, and I made rice crispy treats. 

I'm not feeling very funny or clever at the moment.  I've been having this weird rapid heart rate that leads to passing out thing going on lately, so I'm headed to the doctor tomorrow.  It's totally scary, and it has happened a few times when I've been at customer sites which makes it very difficult and awkward to excuse myself to sit down.  My dad gets something similar and has told me about some home remedies, but most of them are pretty unrealistic.  For example: Dunking your head in an ice water bath or standing on your head.  Probably not going to work out when I'm making a sales call...

The good news: My shirt has pockets.

Day 5

I've been having some strugs with figuring out how to remix this sweater.  I included it in my 30 because I absolutely loved it when Doug bought it for me for my birthday back in November, but I have only worn it once.  I had hoped that I would have strokes of genius regarding how to remix it once my creative juices started flowing. 

I brought this sweater down to San Diego to wear out on Saturday night, but I am learning that it doesn't play well with others.  Other clothes I mean.  The sweater spoke to me last night in a dream and told me that it needs a neutral shoe (maybe a gold or beige) and a wider leg pant.  Then it asked me to please start wearing deodorant.  Unfortunately, I decided that a friend for this sweater isn't worth my 30th item, so I'll try again soon with what I have.

Day 4

Yesterday at work, I forgot that I was writing an email to a co-worker and not a blog entry: 

Alicia,
Attached below is the information I have been able to gather so far from the list of pumps.  The rest of the information was not readily available and will have to be requested from the factory.  I will send you updates as they become available.

Thanks,
Mike
=====================================

Thanks Mike.  You're a champion.

Lizzie
=====================================

Lizzie,
Can you find a way to get the files to Alicia, the e-mail was bounced back to me due to the size.

Mike
=====================================

Haha, it's called splitting up the zip file into multiples.  I took care of it for you this time though.  Kind of like a secretary.  Going back to my roots.  Or at least my gender's roots.

Thanks,
Lizzie
=====================================

Sorry, I didn't mean to be insulting, its just been a long day and my brain isn't working.
Thank you though,

Mike
=====================================

Apparently, he doesn't think I'm as funny as I think I am...  I'm an HR case waiting to happen.

Tip of the day: Thrift stores are the BEST place to buy scarfs.  Many thift shops have a scarf dollar bin by the front door. 

Day 3

Well, we an awesome weekend in San Diego.  Doug got to surf all weekend with his buddy, John, and I got to hang out with my love, Sarah.  Sarah and I met in high school at Freshman Orientation.  I think she thought that I was really weird (ok fine, I KNOW she did because she told me), but I forced her to be my friend. Here we are, 14 years later, and she still just can't say no.  It's going pretty well for me.

The Highlights of Doug's Weekend:

1. A bloody mary with a crab claw in it. 

2. A giant breakfast with lots of coffee.  Doug and I hardly ever go out for big greasy breakfasts because I can't eat eggs, and as for pancakes?  Disgusting.  Soggy bread soaked in syrup?  No thanks.

The Highlights of My Weekend:

1. Double whammy two nights in a row dance parties with Sarah.

2. Taking Sarah's ridiculously cute puppy, Pepe, on a hike and then to the doggie play area at Balboa Park.

Why this high waisted look works: The pencil skirt adds curves to my bottom half while the v-neck minimizes my top half.